Equipment such as engines and turbines can accumulate deposits over time. For example, engines and turbines coupled with wings of aircraft can accumulate deposits (e.g., quartz or other deposits formed from sand, dust, and/or other materials) on exterior surfaces and/or internal surfaces. These and other types of deposits can degrade part durability and engine performance. Eventually, the deposits must be cleaned from the engines and engine parts.
Current cleaning systems and methods remove the engine and/or turbines from the larger turbine system (e.g., the aircraft) so that the engine and/or engine parts can be cleaned. The engines and turbines are broken down or otherwise separated into the separate parts that previously were connected to form the engines and turbines. The separate parts are then cleaned and reassembled into the engines and turbines. The cleaned and re-assembled engines and turbines are then placed back onto the turbine system for additional operation in propelling the turbine system.
Aircraft engines and high performance turbines possess very fine cooling holes that allow higher gas temperatures in the combustor and turbine. During operation of aircraft engines in environments that contain fine-scale dust, such as dust measured by PM10 level (e.g., a particulate matter less than 10 microns), the dust can accumulate in the fine scale cooling holes and reduce the cooling efficiency of the engines and turbines.
The dust also deposits on cooled surfaces and creates an insulating layer between the surface and the cooling medium, which can reduce the cooling efficiency of the engines and turbines. The reduced cooling efficiency can increase component operating temperatures and reduce the useful life span of the components. Additionally, the particulate matter that is entrained in the air that enters the turbine engine and the cooling passages can contain sulphur-containing species that can corrode the components.